Monday, January 22, 2007

Paperstand (SUNW, INTC, AMD, VZ, SNY, BMY)

According to the WSJ, Sun Micro (SUNW) and Intel (INTC) have been negotiating an agreement under which Sun would buy Intel chips for use in server systems. A deal, which could be announced as soon as today, may include an endorsement by Intel of Sun's Solaris OS. Sun's use of Intel chips, would be a blow to AMD (AMD), which is now Sun's exclusive source for chips based on the x86 design used in most PCs and servers.

The WSJ reports that in a move that may hint at growing economic problems in Venezuela, the country's president, Hugo Chávez ordered his telecom minister to seize control of a Verizon Comm. (VZ)-controlled telecom co before paying compensation to its US owners. Mr. Chávez's announcement threw further doubts on whether Verizon would receive fair compensation for its stake in Compañia Anónima Nacional Teléfonos de Venezuela - CANTV.

According to the “Heard on the Street” column, the Sanofi-Avnetis’ (SNY) stock price has lagged behind its peers partly b/c the co doesn't tell the mkt much about the experimental drugs it is developing. This has created a cloud of uncertainty over the co, b/c understanding the pharma pipeline is key for investors. Now, its new CEO, Gérard Le Fur, says Sanofi is ready to start talking. "I accept the criticism that we weren't good enough in this area, so we have to improve our communication," Dr. Le Fur says. Sanofi promises the first signs of its new transparency will come at its ‘06 earnings conference Feb. 13, which will include an update on R&D. According to the article, former CEO, Jean-François Dehecq, will remain Chmn until 2010. Many analysts and investors believe that Mr. Dehecq is staying on to attempt one final acquisition, possibly of Bristol-Myers (BMY).